1 It will take time for the side to reconnect with the public

This really was evidence of a World Cup hangover, with the contest played out to an eerily flat atmosphere inside the national stadium and the banks of empty seats swallowing what noise the support could drum up. The English have hosted games in front of fewer spectators than the 40,181 here, but not in their rebuilt home. There were some mitigating circumstances, like this being the first day of the new school year, but there is apathy among the fanbase. The Euro 2016 qualifying group will hardly have the juices flowing – roll on the mooted high-profile friendlies against Germany, Spain, France, Holland and Italy – but there is a desperate need to revive some enthusiasm in the wake of Brazil. This downbeat occasion, even in victory, was not the best of starts.

2 This is no time to pin hopes on a good old-fashioned 4-4-2

More appealing would be to produce more exhilarating style of football, and Roy Hodgson has the players to do just that. Take Raheem Sterling, so devastating for Liverpool at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and sprightly again here. The teenager is a gem of a player, all low centre of gravity and extravagant skill, and coaxed the penalty out of Omar Elabdellaoui. But would he not be better employed at the tip of a diamond, as he was late on, rather than in his rather rigid 4-4-2? To that end, it was interesting to note Sir Trevor Brooking, the FA’s outgoing director of football development, stating in his farewell programme notes that England play a 4-3-3 “throughout the age groups”. Here the seniors went against the grain.

3 Switzerland may fancy their chances against this defence

Hodgson had described this as a dress rehearsal for Monday’s qualifier in Basel. “That’s the team I want to play against the Swiss,” he had said pre-match, and he would have been hoping for more inspiring fare from those in whom he had placed his faith. They will be seriously tested by Vladimir Petkovic’s side, the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Josip Drmic eager to ruffle the inexperienced John Stones and Phil Jones. Both players have the potential to excel yet, for now, they are raw, will make mistakes and are heavily reliant upon Gary Cahill at their side for reassurance. The Chelsea player still labours in unfamiliar partnerships, and this rearguard can appear vulnerable, but England desperately need him to step up and lead from the back. So the sight of him substituted and sitting with an ice pack on his right ankle was unnerving.

4 Can the Wilshere and Henderson combination work?

While Sterling and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain sprinted down their flanks, England’s central midfield still appeared a work in progress. Jack Wilshere offered flashes of quality and tidy distribution as well as energy – and should have won a penalty – but Jordan Henderson still feels shackled. He was invariably the deeper of the two here yet, as at White Hart Lane on Sunday, it is his dynamism that marks him out. He needs the licence to burst forward like a young Steven Gerrard, not the restriction of sitting deep as his club captain has done in the latter stages of his career. Perhaps he and Wilshere were supposed to dovetail more regularly, but they still felt a combination whose potential had not been tapped by the system.

5 Rooney will have to wait to make his mark as captain

The new captain had said all the right things pre-match, talking of a “new chapter” and stressing “this is my time”. But, while he converted the penalty which finally broke the deadlock, he was worryingly peripheral here. England’s most potent attacks were mustered by the busy Sterling in combination with Daniel Sturridge, with the captain displaying very little coherent combination play with the Liverpool forward. Rooney’s experience – this was his 96th cap – makes him invaluable to this team, but they need him to contribute more on the pitch than merely say the right things off it. He must conjure better than this in Basel.